Improvement in washing-machines



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

. JAMES M. THOMPSON, OE DOWAGIAO, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOE TO HIMSELF, JUSTUS OONEY, AND CHARLES MERVIN, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN WASHING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 118,071, dated August 15, 1871 antedated August 11, 1871.

To all whom it may con-cern:

Be it known that I, JAMES M. THOMPSON, of

ADowagiac, in the county of Cass and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vashing-lVIachines, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates in its nature to that class of washing-machines that is made on the principle of the common fulling-mill; and consists in the construction and arrangement of a suitable frame to receive the working parts; in the construction of adjustable levers, whereby the power to move the beaters may be increased or diminished in the use of detachable auxiliary levers, to enable two persons to operate the machine at the same time, and in the construction and arrangement ofthe abutment or abutments in such elevated position as to cause the clothes to fall back and apart, by their own gravity, when the beater is withdrawn, thus facilitating the act of resaturation; the object being to produce, through the combination of the above-named parts, a more simple and eficientclothes-washing machine for family use than has hitherto been made.

In the accompanying drawing making a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of a device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detached section showing the frame.

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention belongs to make and use the same, I will proceed t0 describe its construction and operation, having reference t0 the iigures and letters of reference marked thereon, in which- A represents the frame. This frame is constructed by attaching four legs, d d d d., to the wringer-boardB. This board forms a convenient place to attach a wringing-machine. Each pair of the legs is set converging, andis provided with the braces O. These braces are placed horizontal, and serve as handles, by which the machine can be conveniently carried. D D are bars set parallel with the wringer-board, and serve t0 brace the frame laterally, and as supports to the semicircnlar tub E. This tub is made watertight, and provided with one or two abutments, F F. These abutments should be placed on a radial line to the circle of the bottom of the tub, and set sufficiently high as to cause the clothes to fall of their own gravity as the beaters G G are withdrawn, causing them to spread apart, in which case they will readily become saturated with water, to be again expressed by the beaters. These beaters may be of any desired number, and set one over the other, with a vacant space between them, and suspended at each end by the pendent levers H H. These levers are pivoted to the inner side of the tub by means of bolts passing through the sides of the tub, and through the legs of the frame. Several holes are provided for these bolts, in order to change the fulcrum of the levers H H so as to suit the varying requirements of the different kinds'of clothes to be washed. Irepresents auxiliary levers. These levers may be attached to the pendent levers H by any suitable fastening that will allow of their being readily removed when it is not desirable to have more than one person to operate the machine. The abutments F should be formed concave on the under side, and perforated so as to let the water pass through them freely. A short corrugated rubbing-board is attached to the front side of the tub, as seen at j. The back side of the tub is covered with a stationary cover, K, but the front side I cover with a loose cover, made of some light material, as shown at L, and so arranged as to be readly removed for the purpose of putting in and taking out clothes. The object of these covers is to prevent the water from cooling as much as practicable, and to prevent the steam from annoying the operator.

Now it will be seen that the operation of my machine has a tendency to full the clothes, and not to rub or wea-r them, the water, being ejected from the clothes by pressure, carries with it the dirt without damage to the fabric.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The frame A, consisting of the wringerboard B, legs d d d d, bracing-handle O, and bars D D, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth. I i

2. In combination with the first-claimed parts, the tub E, levers H and I, beaters G, abuttingboards F, rubbing-board j, and covers L and 7c, all constructed and combined substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

Witnesses: JAMES M. THOMPSON.

THERON L. SEWARD, C. E. BAILEY. 

